Johnny Sexton could have been seriously injured during the first half of Leinster’s demolition job on Montpellier at the RDS on Friday night.
A late and high hit on the Leinster out-half by opposite number Frans Steyn was arguably the turning point in the game as it resulted in a red card being shown to the South African.
Referee JP Doyle took his time in reviewing the tackle before issuing Steyn his marching orders in what is the latest incident to shine a spotlight over World Rugby’s recent directive to clamp down on high tackles.
The hit forced Sexton off the pitch for seven minutes so that he could be examined and he returned to the fray after passing a Head Injury Assessment.
When asked whether the collision felt like a red card tackle in the wake of Leinster’s 57-3 victory, Sexton displayed typical class in giving Steyn the benefit of the doubt.
“It felt like a forward,” Sexton joked during his post-match interview with Sky Sports.
“When I looked back at the TV, I expected it to be one of their back-rowers!
@SportsJOEdotie Typically classy response from Sexton pic.twitter.com/FQaqOAkWch
— Darragh Murphy (@DarrMurphy) January 13, 2017
“I know Frans well. He’s a good guy and I think it looked like I was ducking down into it a little bit so it could have been accidental. But with these new laws, I suppose you can’t afford to be reckless.
“It probably was a yellow card before, now it’s a red. And I felt for him because he’s not a dirty player and it was probably accidental.”
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